Perspective
by theKyra
Summary: Teddy Lupin might be Head Boy, but behind the scenes, he's also the biggest troublemaker since the Weasley twins. When his life is turned upside down, can he learn to see from a different perspective? rated T for cursing, slightly mature themes, etc
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:: **None of this is mine. I'm not getting any profit or such nonsense out of writing this fanfic... in fact, all I get out of this is entertainment and a further excuse to hate my writing. :P Let's see... the one obvious pairing is Teddy/Victoire, but aside from that one... I think I'll let you find out on your own. Oh, and don't expect me to, like, update. I might get halfway through the third chapter and then stop, so.. yeah. Have fun!

**Prologue:**

_In which Teddy cannot sleep, Victoire threatens to hex him to Romania and back, and a cat is disturbed from its sleep._

The inky black sky echoed with loneliness that night, the moon nearly invisible while swaths of glittering stars were blocked out by clouds. It was well past curfew and the castle had drifted off into sleep, and yet a single student remained in the Gryffindor common room. At first glance, one would be able to tell that this particular teenager had not slept at all, and if one looked close enough to see the purple shadows under the boy's eyes, one would be able to assume with some certainty that he had not been sleeping well for some time. The fireplace still glowed faintly with the embers of that evening's fire, but aside from a few dying candles scattered around the room, the space was dark and silent.

The brown-haired teen was seated on the floor, his back up against a sofa as he stared into the fireplace, his gaze fixated on the fading embers. A book sat off to the side, giving the impression that he had been reading some time ago. He was dressed simply, in a short-sleeved shirt that was several sizes too large and checkered pajama bottoms. A thin quilt was wrapped around his shoulders, and a ginger tabby cat dozed on one of the more comfortable chairs.

Distantly, the boy heard a clock chime three am, but he didn't seem to care. Moving for the first time in a long while, he pulled his legs up against his chest and rested his arms on them. He remained this way for some time, until he heard footsteps echoing down a staircase. His eyes, previously green, darkened to an unfriendly grey as he shifted to look towards the source of the sound. Descending the staircase that led to the girls' dorms was a familiar red-haired fifth year, who had clearly only just woken up, judging by her tangled red hair and dishevelled clothing. Wordlessly, she pulled out her wand and replaced the old candles with fresh ones, returning light to the common room. Then, without even so much as a greeting, she joined the older boy in front of the fireplace, quietly snuggling up alongside him.

He automatically extended an arm to wrap around her shoulders, bringing his quilt with it, and murmured, "Dream?"

"Mmhmm," she answered softly, pausing briefly before adding, "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah." They sat together in silence before the boy suggested, "Chess?"

She shook her head, shifting closer to him. "Too early," she muttered.

"We could... pester James or Fred. It's quite entertaining to wake them up real early."

"And then they give you the cold shoulder for two weeks," she replied. "Do you really want to screw up your game on Friday?"

He chuckled softly, his eyes slowly returning to an emerald hue. "You could do my potions essay," he remarked jokingly.

The red-haired girl laughed, "Nice try, _head boy_. Even if I _liked_ potions, I wouldn't write an essay for the super-smart, Quidditch-playing, shockingly-popular head boy."

"Even if he rewarded you with chocolates?"

She glowered at him. "Definitely not. You _know_ I'm trying to cut back on sweets, Teddy Lupin. Bring chocolate anywhere near me and I swear I will curse you to Romania and back."

"Only Romania?"

"Would you rather I transfigure you into a cardboard box? I could do it right now, and no one will ever be the wiser."

He grinned wickedly and challenged, "Go on, turn me into a box, Vee. I'll just morph myself back to some semblance of a human and complain to Professor North, maybe even the Headmistress."

"Yes, because _everyone_ takes talking cardboard seriously," she replied, faintly annoyed despite her amusement. "Who's to say that someone couldn't have charmed a piece of cardboard to do the exact same thing?"

He rolled his eyes and responded, "Even if that _does_ sound like something James would do, you and I both know that you wouldn't dare." His eyes glittered with laughter, though he did an excellent job of pretending to be irritated.

"You're right, I wouldn't turn you into a box because you aren't worth my time."

Teddy chuckled. "Is that so? Because I was of the persuasion that you were dating me – perhaps I was mistaken?"

She lightly shoved him, though it was rather half-hearted, reminding the brown-haired teenager that they both needed sleep. "Oh, shut up," she laughed. "You know we all love you – even if Fred and James pretend otherwise."

He grinned, using the sofa to pull himself up to a standing position. Teddy offered a hand to the red-haired girl, and once she grasped his forearm, he leaned backwards to compensate for her tug on his arm. As she straightened, she wrapped her arms around the older boy in a brief hug, and he took advantage of the moment to murmur, "We've planned a celebration in Hogsmeade this weekend, since we're definitely going to crush Ravenclaw. Coming?"

"Of course I'll come," she answered, before pulling away and leaning to her left to peer at the cat in the armchair. "Has Ginger been sleeping there all night?"

Teddy shrugged. "Probably. I never noticed her in the first place. You know how the Fat Lady is, letting the cats come and go as they please."

She laughed softly, starting back towards the staircase that led to the girls' dorms. "See you at breakfast," she said, before disappearing to the same place she had appeared from. Teddy watched her go, then scooped up his tabby cat and extinguished the candles with an unspoken command. When he reached his silent dorm, he released the cat on the floorboards and crossed the floor to his four-poster bed. As the ginger cat curled up at the end of the bed, the seventh year laid down atop the bed-covers, gratefully allowing sleep to claim him.


	2. Flying brooms and broken rules

**Author's Note:: **Still not mine. :] This chapter was rather fun to write, so... hopefully you'll enjoy it? XD Don't shoot me!

**Chapter One:**

_In which a Slytherin attempts a spell, a few ribs are cracked, and a few rules are broken._

It was true, Teddy often had far too much fun patrolling the halls in the mornings during his open classes. On the days that the halls were quiet, he usually entertained himself by pretending to be other people when ghosts or professors passed him. But some days, today in particular, the seventh year thoroughly enjoyed his daily duty. It likely had something to do with the Slytherins that wandered the halls solely for the purpose of trying to enact revenge for the many times Teddy had wreaked havoc in the Slytherin house. It would take days to list the varying tricks he'd pulled, but one of his favorites that never failed was imitating Slytherin students in order to gain access to their common room and steal their secrets for later revealings. He always succeeded, and though the revealing of secrets was always anonymous (usually in the form of entertaining rhymes told to Peeves), the whole of Slytherin had seemed to get it into their heads that he was the culprit behind the whole thing.

Needless to say, Teddy wasn't on the best of terms with the Slytherins. And on top of that, he considered it a disappointment when Slytherins _didn't_ try to hex him at least once a week. To his vast enjoyment, a sixth year that he recognized as being the Slytherin Quidditch captain happened to pass him in the hall that morning. With the reputation that he had, Teddy wasn't surprised in the least when the sixth year cast him a glance full of loathing as they passed each other. The brown-haired Gryffindor was mildly disappointed for a moment or two, but when he heard the retreating footsteps stop, he spun around, wand at the ready. Clearly his instincts were correct, as the Slytherin took advantage of the moment to send a hex hurtling down the hall towards Teddy. Having long ago mastered the non-verbal usage of the shield charm, Teddy simply watched as the hex rebounded and hit the offending Slytherin. "And that's what happens when you try to curse a Lupin," he remarked, smirking with a smug satisfaction.

The Slytherin didn't have long before the hex's effects settled in, but in the brief moment he had, the sixth year snarled something that sounded to Teddy like a rather unflattering insult involving his father and mutts. Refusing to be bothered by the insult, Teddy snickered while the Slytherin felt the effects of his own spell. _You see, the funny thing is, I actually pay attention in class,_ he thought, grinning. For a brief moment, he considered leaving the Slytherin there until, say, Filch happened to pass by, but a generous mood overtook his mind, and the seventh year headed down the hall and around the corner, where several portraits hung. To his amusement, only one was occupied, but he greeted it nonetheless, "Good morning, my good sir. There seems to be an incapacitated Slytherin just around the corner – perhaps you could pass the message on to a professor or possibly someone else who can assist him to the medical wing?"

The portrait's occupant took one look at him, shrugged, and answered, "Is it life threatening?"

"Nope," Teddy replied cheerfully, though he wasn't quite sure, being as he wasn't quite sure what the hex had been in the first place.

"I'll pass it on, but I can't promise you much else."

"That will suffice," the Head Boy answered. "Have a pleasant day."

---

Quidditch. Quidditch quidditch quidditch quidditch. Needless to say, Teddy thoroughly enjoyed Quidditch. Of all sports he had tried (which was a rather small number, seeing as he had limited contact with Muggles), Quidditch was his favorite. Of course, being captain of a House team was quite a lot of fun to begin with, but scoring goals (while not as prestigious as catching the Snitch) also held some considerable satisfaction. The brown-haired seventh year was perfectly at ease in his Quidditch uniform, his broom (top of the line, courtesy of his surprisingly rich godfather) in hand. The game had yet to start, of course, and the pre-game pep talk had never held much weight for him, but Teddy was already having fun, just watching his team mates.

Looking to be bored out of his mind was their team Seeker, a tall, skinny third-year that seemed convinced his name was James Potter II and that he deserved to have a broom as amazing as Teddy's; arguing with one of the Beaters was their Keeper, Fred Weasley II, one of the only dark-skinned Weasleys that Teddy had ever met (though he hoped that, someday, there might be others). The other two Chasers on the team were both sixth years, a best friend duo that was fond of talking strategy at all possible times. In fact, the two were so close that many a younger student mistakenly assumed they were siblings, regardless of the fact that one, Evelyn, was a blond-haired, blue-eyed European, and the other, Mallory, was a dark-haired girl of American Indian descent. Then there were two Beaters, Michael and Zakkery, who were ex-friends that never lost a chance to jinx the other, though they weren't about to ruin Gryffindor's chances for winning the Quidditch Cup if they could help it.

It didn't take long for the game to begin, and Teddy took even less time to score the first goal of the game. He pulled back and let Evelyn and Mallory take over control of the Quaffle, taking the moment to listen to the commentary, usually provided by some Weasley or other. However, today, that position seemed to have been taken over by a student in the Slytherin colours, and Teddy wondered if, perhaps, the professors had grown bored of listening to a bunch of red-haired Gryffindors encourage their team and insult their opponents. _Not likely,_ he thought, catching sight of a Bludger out of the corner of his eye and quickly moving in order to avoid it. He was pleased to see that Zakkery had already caught up to smack it back at the Ravenclaw seeker, and made a mental note to congratulate the team on actually paying attention during practice.

---

Only thirty minutes later was Teddy growing snappish. He had personally scored three goals, and between the other two Chasers, they had a total of seven goals, but Ravenclaw had a slim lead with eight goals. James had grumbled something about being distracted every few minutes by the Ravenclaw chasers and the degrading commentary made by the Slytherin, but that had been some time ago, and the seventh year was growing annoyed. Normally, he didn't mind being behind by a few goals, since it usually seemed that James was an excellent Seeker, having inherited his father's gift and his mother's grace on a broom. Of course, after being unintentionally hit with the Quaffle and then rammed into by a Bludger – twice – Teddy was sure he'd be black and purple on at least two thirds of his body by the end of the day, if not more.

Noticing that Evelyn, who had possession of the Quaffle, was blocked from passing to Mallory, Teddy dived underneath her to catch the vividly red ball as she dropped it for him. Bypassing the Ravenclaw players with as much speed as he could manage, the brown-haired Chaser raised his broom slightly so that he had a clear shot at all three of the opposing team's goal hoops. Knowing that their keeper would fall for the trick, he feinted towards the lower hoop, then zoomed upwards to send the Quaffle through one of the unguarded hoops.

"_And Lupin scores another goal for Gryffindor. Am I the only one who's tired of seeing the Head Boy jump through hoops just to stay the favourite of the most famous Aurors in the twenty-first century? It's rather boring, don't you-"_ Teddy happened to glance over at the Slytherin commentator in time to see a pair of red-headed third years jinx him simultaneously. Professor Solberg, Head of Slytherin House and teacher of Potions, was sitting beside the temporarily-incapacitated Slytherin student and chuckled when he noticed Teddy's gaze.

His mood lightened somewhat, the seventh year passed their dark-haired Seeker on his path to join the other Chasers in retrieving the Quaffle from the Ravenclaw players. Before he zoomed off to join them, however, he slowed to match James' speed and remarked with an amused tone, "If you get a chance, look at what Dom and Lucy did to the commentator – by the way, any luck yet?"

The Seeker didn't even glance at the stands, his eyes scanning the pitch for the tell-tale glint that usually signalled the Golden Snitch's position. "Not yet. What's the score?"

"Tied at eighty. Don't let the Ravenclaws distract you too much." With this closing comment, Teddy sped off towards his fellow Chasers, determined to score a few more goals while his team mate searched for the Snitch. He reached the sixth year girls at the same time one of the Ravenclaw Beaters smashed a Bludger with his bat, sending it towards Evelyn. Knowing full well that she was focused on getting the Quaffle and completely ignorant to the iron ball headed straight for her, he yelled out a warning. Intent on keeping his team mostly in one piece, Teddy passed between the Bludger and his team mate, shoving any and all reluctance to the back of his mind, for regret in the case that he fell and broke something (not that it would be the first time – he had managed to shatter nearly all of the bones in his right leg in his fourth year, but that time he had been knocked off his broom by a Slytherin, rather than an iron ball). As the Bludger changed targets, Teddy pulled his broom up, rising in altitude to gain some more time for Michael or Zakkery to hit the ball back at the other team.

Much to his displeasure, his iron stalker reached him moments before either Gryffindor Beater did. Having played Quidditch on and off since the age of nine and as a serious hobby from the age of twelve, Teddy was by no means an inexperienced player, but even a few thousand falls from a broom could never prepare you for the force of a heavy iron ball ramming into your side. Just like it was intended to do, the Bludger knocked Teddy from his broom, but only partway – in preparation, he had tightly grabbed the broom with his hands, and though he was no longer sitting atop the wooden shaft, he had plenty of strength in his arms to swing back up onto the broom. Normally, he would have done just that, but then the iron Bludger decided it wasn't bored of him and smashed into his side again.

This time, Teddy distinctly felt several ribs crack. He gingerly pulled himself back up onto his broom, granted a brief reprieve from the assault by the arrival of the dark-haired Michael. "Great timing," he grumbled, not quite loud enough for his team mate to hear, but it was enough to make him feel better, if only for the moment. After a few moments to reclaim the breath that had been thoroughly knocked out of his lungs, the seventh year searched the pitch for the familiar red and gold uniforms. By the looks of it, Fred had successfully blocked a further goal by Ravenclaw and was in the process of tossing the Quaffle back to Evelyn and Mallory. As he flew over to join them, he noticed a separate movement out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't quite sure that he had seen correctly, but if he had... James was in pursuit of the Golden Snitch at last, with the Ravenclaw seeker close behind. And if anything, that was welcome news to a seventh year that had been up on a broom for well over an hour, with the bruises to show for it.

While Mallory passed him the Quaffle to ferry down the pitch, Teddy listened close to any sort of announcements from the commentator. He wouldn't be surprised if someone had de-jinxed him, but he seriously doubted that any of the professors would allow an obviously biased Slytherin to continue. Hearing a familiar French-tinged voice announce the score as he successfully threw the Quaffle through a Ravenclaw hoop made Teddy smile to himself, though he couldn't take more than a split-second to glance at the stands. _"Gryffindor lead, One hundred to ninety. The Golden Snitch has been sighted, looks like..."_

As her voice trailed off, Teddy himself glanced around the pitch, trying to spot the team's Seeker. Just as he found James, he heard Victoire announce, _"And he's caught it! Gryffindor wins!"_

Gratefully returning to the ground, Teddy was the first to congratulate the dark-haired third year prior to disappearing to the locker room for a quick change of clothes before his much-needed visit to the hospital wing.

---

Teddy was surprised to see that the hospital wing was much busier than usual, considering the day's game had been relatively painless compared to some he'd played. Copper-haired and small-boned, Madame Cherilyn Busch seemed to be rather occupied dealing out potions and checking on students, and yet she glanced over at the entrance the moment he passed through it. She was often underestimated by the younger students, but Teddy had long ago learned that she was rather talented at verbal sparring, and nearly always won. Having put many a Slytherin in the hospital wing over the past six and a half years, it was only fair that he spent quite a bit of time in and out of the hospital wing himself, and ever since Madame Busch had taken over the position in his second year, Teddy had grown to be well-acquainted with her. He hadn't been surprised to learn that she had started Hogwarts only a few years after his godfather, but it _had_ given him a bit of a shock to learn that she was an ex-Slytherin. He knew that her father had been a pureblood German wizard and her mother a born and bred London witch, though as her mother was a half-blood, Madame Busch too was a half-blood. She was bilingual, speaking both English and German fluently, and was an animal lover, using her free time to tend to the injuries and illnesses of any animals that the students brought with them to Hogwarts (however, she left the creatures of the Forbidden Forest to a certain half-giant groundskeeper, who was perfectly happy with the arrangement).

"What have you managed to break this time, Lupin?" she remarked with a light-hearted tone, turning her attention from a blond-haired third year. "Or were you hexed mid-game?"

He chuckled weakly, gingerly leaning against the side of the doorway that led into the hospital wing. "I'm more bruised than battered this time – just a Bludger to the ribs. Feels more like a crack than a break, to be honest."

The copper-haired healer smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Heavy iron balls will do that to a person, I've noticed," she commented jokingly. "Lucky for you, cracked ribs aren't hard to fix."

"Oh, darn, I was hoping to spend some quality time with my favorite healer," Teddy responded cheerfully, wincing slightly as he shifted position.

Madame Busch laughed and pulled her wand from its residence in a pocket within her robes. "Come here, head boy. The faster I get rid of you, the faster I can finish with the others," she said fondly. Once Teddy was standing in front of her, rather pleased that he wouldn't have to spend the night in the hospital wing rather than celebrating in the common room with his housemates. She flicked her wand at him in a brisk, business-like manner, murmuring the spell incantation under her breath. The seventh year felt a few, brief stabs of pain in the general location of his ribcage, then found he was able to breathe properly once more.

"Much better," he remarked, pleased, "thanks!"

She grinned and answered, "You owe me, mister Quidditch captain. Do us all a favor and try to avoid antagonizing the Slytherins for a week or two?"

Teddy raised his eyebrows, briefly glancing around the room. With a smirk, he noticed the sixth-year Slytherin from that morning, looking very much the same as he had earlier that day. "Well, that was hardly my fault. His hex rebounded off my shield charm, it's not like I cast it," he commented, amused.

The copper-haired healer only shook her head in a mocking imitation of sadness and pointed to the entrance. "Out, boy. There's nothing wrong with you except for your ego, and that's not something I know a spell to fix."

---

On his way back to the common room to join in on the celebration that had undoubtedly already begun, Teddy was greeted in the hall by Victoire and her younger sister, who were laden with snacks and beverages that he presumed had been retrieved from the kitchens' staff of house elves. "Need some help, ladies?" he asked, grinning cheerfully, the effect of winning a game still holding its grip on his brain.

Victoire laughed, proffering her armfuls of food (hopefully charmed against spilling). While he took the majority of the load from the red-haired girl's arms, she inquired, "So, where did you disappear to after the game? Everyone else is already up in the common room, wondering where you wandered off to."

"Hospital wing," he laughed. "It kind of hurts to be hit by a Bludger going at full speed, you know."

She sighed, though her expression was amused. "I wouldn't know – Quidditch injuries are _your_ area of expertise, Teddy dear."

"I _offered_ to teach you how to play Quidditch-"

"And I said no," she said firmly, beginning to walk again. "I'd rather stay in one piece, thanks ever so much. I'm far happier with two feet on the ground, and you know that. Besides, I'm more interested in potions than flight."

Teddy rolled his eyes and glanced down at Dominique, the only Weasley child to inherit her mother's beautiful blond hair. The third year seemed perfectly content to be ferrying bottles of butterbeer back to the common room, though she noticed his glance and smiled brightly. The girl wasn't the brightest, but what she lacked in brains, she made up for in looks. Needless to say, Teddy was of the opinion that even a few drops of Veela blood could make any girl stand out amongst the rest, though he'd noticed that even Victoire, who was seven-eighths human and probably the sweetest girl he knew, retained the nasty temper of a full-blooded Veela. "She's never going to give up, is she?" he remarked off-handedly.

Dom giggled and replied, "Not a chance."

Victoire pointedly ignored them both, quickening her pace to a brisk walk. Teddy and Dom exchanged amused looks, then moved to match her pace. They reached the entrance to the common room only steps behind Victoire, who greeted the Fat Lady with a mildly irritated tone. She gave the password in a similar voice, then disappeared through the opening to join their celebrating housemates. Teddy motioned for Dominique to go before him, and proceeded to follow her.

The entire common room was full of loud, riotous celebration, a scene familiar to Teddy, seeing as Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup four times and the House Cup twice during his schooling career. James was at the center of the attention, which hardly surprised Teddy, seeing as the role of a Seeker was generally rather popular and prestigious, since it was such a difficult position. Not that the rest of the team suffered for lack of congratulations – Fred had apparently picked up a new girlfriend, seeing as they were snogging and Teddy wasn't entirely sure who she was; Evelyn and Mallory had acquired new additions to their fan club, which mostly consisted of first and second years, kids that usually didn't make it onto the team; even Michael and Zakkery had given up on their frequent arguments to bask in the glory of their win.

Teddy deposited his load of food on a table that had apparently been cleared for the very purpose, then strolled across the common room to where Victoire had decided to lurk in a corner. "Vee," he said, a bit of a whine making its way into his voice, "don't ignore me. You and I both know that lurking is a terrible thing to do at a party."

She turned to look at him, a single eyebrow raised. Her eyes were dark with irritation, but he considered it a start that she even responded. "And?"

"And I think a butterbeer is in order," Teddy replied, stubbornly cheerful. "C'mon, no one wants to see the prettiest girl in Hogwarts sulking in a corner." _'They don't want to see the prettiest girl in school snogging the Head Boy either,'_ he added silently, wisely deciding to keep the thought to himself.

Victoire sighed, and conceded, "I suppose a butterbeer would wake my brain back up, at least. I've been falling asleep on and off all day."

He chuckled, moving to where the butterbeers had been left on a table, grabbing two. Returning to Victoire only moments later, he responded, "Welcome to the world that all insomniacs reside in."

"It's not at all fun," she grumbled, accepting a bottle of butterbeer. Popping it open and taking a sip, she continued in a slightly happier tone, "So, I'd be correct in assuming that the celebration in Hogsmeade is still on the events list?"

Teddy grinned. "Of course it is! Unless, say, half the House drops dead overnight – then I think we might have a problem on our hands."

"You think?" Though she was obviously trying to retain her grumpiness, Victoire's bad mood was lifting, and they both knew it. "If half of Gryffindor dropped dead, I think the school would be shut down and the Aurors brought in to investigate."

"That'd be fun," he remarked light-heartedly. "Hey, you know what? That would mean that Harry would come and visit – that could be interesting."

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "You practically live at Uncle Harry's to begin with – it's not like you only get to see him for one or two days out of a whole year."

Teddy shrugged. "So? I'm not allowed to enjoy visits with my godfather?"

Victoire sighed, taking another sip of her butterbeer. "You're hopeless, Teddy. Absolutely hopeless."

He grinned, delighted with this turn of events. "Isn't it great?"

---

Curfew had been three and a half hours ago, by his count. The common room had quieted down considerably, the younger students already asleep in their dorms, and only a few sixth and seventh years still lingered. Teddy was one of the few who continued to carry on a conversation, and almost certainly the only one who wasn't half-asleep. The seventh year lounged on a sofa, his ginger tabby snoozing on his lap. "Teddy?" asked Victoire, not even looking up from the parchment she wrote on.

"Yeah?"

"What's the purpose of Polyjuice potion, again?"

"It's a really bad way to pretend you're a Metamorphmagus."

"Seriously, Teddy."

"It allows you to assume someone else's identity, provided you can acquire their hair or something similar."

"Thanks."

As the number of students in the common room trickled down to the point where only four or five students aside from Teddy and Victoire were left, he grew bored of making faces at the fireplace and shifted Ginger off his lap and onto the sofa. The cat didn't seem to notice – that, or it was ignoring him. The seventh year wandered around the common room for a few minutes before returning to where Victoire sat, focused on her essay. "I'm going to take a walk," he decided aloud, kissing the Weasley girl on the top of her head before wandering out of the common room.

He strolled down the halls with his wand in his pocket, his appearance shifting as he went. His hair went from light brown to a dark blond, his eyes shifted from green to hazel, and his face rearranged itself into a slightly different shape, rendering him recognizable up close, but unfamiliar from a distance. He took his Head Boy pin off his robes as he went, tucking it into an empty pocket, perfectly satisfied with the change. Should he be spotted at a distance by a teacher, he wouldn't be identified, though he was in trouble if he happened to bump into one. Teddy made his way down multiple sets of stairs until he reached the ground floor, walking straight out the front door without caring if someone happened to see him. The night air was refreshingly crisp, and stars glittered in the sky.

Hearing a faint howling sound, the seventh year glanced out at the Forbidden Forest, dark and intimidating even from this distance. Seeing no movement, he shrugged to himself and continued to meander across the grounds. The moon shone down brightly, illuminating any path he wished to take. As he passed the groundskeeper's hut, he noticed with faint interest that smoke still rose from the chimney and the windows were lit with a warm and inviting light.

Pretty sure that not even Hagrid would be particularly pleased to find a seventh year wandering in through the front door in the middle of the night, Teddy returned to his walk, slowly being drawn towards the uninviting darkness of the forest. Deep in thought, he didn't notice the suspicious rustling sound coming from the nearest portion of the forest. In fact, by the time he noticed a dark shape headed in his direction, it was already too late for him to do much other than let a nightmarish scream loose from his throat.


End file.
